At age 18, people can vote, they can serve in the military, and they are considered adults, but some central Wisconsin law enforcement agencies won't hire them as officers.

Recently, Wisconsin Rapids Police Department officials looked at the policy of requiring police candidates to be at least 21, Police Chief Kurt Heuer said. Although qualified candidates also must have 60 college credits, effectively preventing most 18- and 19-year-olds from applying, there have been qualified 20-year-olds who weren't eligible simply based on their age.

Heuer met with the Wisconsin Rapids Police and Fire Commission to discuss the situation. Although the current eligibility list still requires candidates to be 21, the new list, which should be created in the spring, lowers the age to 18.

"I think it will be a positive change for us," Heuer said. "When we have a candidate who has met all other qualifications for hire, we don't have age standing in the way."

With the change, Wisconsin Rapids will join the Marshfield and Stevens Point police departments and Wood County Sheriff's Department in having a minimum age of 18. The lower age allows for more hiring options, but officials still consider maturity an important quality for new officers.

"I would tell anyone applying at our department that our new hires are typically between 23 and 26," Stevens Point Police Sgt. Paul Piotrowski said. "We do hire people straight out of school, but that's unusual."

The Portage County Sheriff's Department requires a minimum age of 21, Sheriff John Charewicz said.

"Maturity is a big part of it," he said. "We look for some life experience in addition to education, even if it's for part-time work."

When Charewicz started with the Portage County Sheriff's Department, there was a deputy who was 20 years old. He was a good officer but moved on to another field because he didn't know what he wanted to do, Charewicz said.

"We look for commitment to law enforcement and a commitment to our department, because there's a lot of money involved in training," he said.

At 18, 19 or 20, people don't know what they want to do with their lives, Charewicz said. They get into law enforcement and, halfway through field training, discover it's not what they thought it would be and leave, costing the department money.

Clark Pagel, associate dean of the Criminal Justice Department at Mid-State Technical College, said the interview process is a better determination of a good officer candidate than age. Because the state requires all law enforcement officers to have 60 credits, changing the age from 21 to 18 is actually only the difference between hiring a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old.

"I just don't believe age is a determining factor in a person's ability to perform any sort of a job," Pagel said. "We've got 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds protecting their country. It's a question of maturity."